Runners poured in. Non-runners. A construction worker in his hardhat. Friends sent flowers. Strangers brought brownies. There was candy from another business down the street; employees passed it out to customers who waited patiently in line.

“Certainly the staff who were here that day, we have our moments,” said Shane O’Hara, manager of the store, whose employees dragged some of the victims inside and helped to treat them. “But every customer who has come in here has been bound and determined to help out. And that makes us feel good.”

The shop blew through its 800 fundraising “Runners [Love] Boston” T-shirts, raising $20,000 for the One Fund to benefit the victims. Marathon apparel flew off the racks. People lined up on the lone, long bench to try on shoes.

“This is our marathon pre- and post-week that we just missed out on,” O’Hara said, searching among the labyrinth of shoeboxes in the basement for a size.

Kathleen Mortimer and a friend had just come from the Irish bar across the street, where they made sure to leave a big tip for the waitress.

“We want to support the businesses,” said Mortimer. “I love Boston. I want everybody to come back, and I want it to thrive.”

Marathon Sports owner Colin Peddie also was on hand all day to say hello to patrons.

“The support has been amazing,” Peddie said. “It’s cleansing. It’s getting rid of the negative energy that’s down here and filling it with positive energy.”

Looking around the crowded shop, he said: “I don’t think they’re just buying the products. They’re buying recovery. Mental recovery. Physical recovery. At one point or another, everyone in this community has to face what happened. And—like it or not—we play a role in that.”

Workers had begun replacing the plate-glass window and pulling up the bloodied carpet exactly one week after the bombings, and there was no evidence inside of the tragedy.

While the store has been cleaned up, however, America’s new Ground Zero is still right out front. There were flowers laid against the storefront. The sidewalk looked as if it had been bleached. Passersby took photos. Police stood by at a respectful distance.

“I was surprised how much it overtook me when I saw it,” Mortimer said of the scene.

O’Hara said it’s hard to know if that will gradually get easier to face.

“That’s the million-dollar question. And I don’t have the answer,” he said. “I had to go out there and have people run in shoes. What happens when we have our running group? Do we say, ‘Guys, let’s not stretch out there?’”

But Peddie said his team was bolstered by the show of solidarity.

“Boston’s a very parochial city,” he said. “By and large, you’re on the inside or the outside. It’s hard to break in, but once you do, they’ll stand by you all day long.”